Valor Dictus

Coming back from injury

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Broken bones; pulled hamstrings; stress fractures; shoulder and wrist problems; cauliflower ear; and torn ACLs are just a few of the injuries students at our school have sustained, and yet most of those athletes have made comebacks.

Depending on the injury, players can lose more than just a season of participation. Sophomore Jared Steen said he believes his old broken collar bone injury has affected the way he plays basketball.

“I am definitely a lot more tentative as a player; if I had the chance to take a charge, I would not take the chance because I thought I might reinjure it,” Steen said.

Senior basketball player Christie Michals had an unknown stress fracture in her right foot, and had surgery to strengthen the bone.

“It was three months non-weight bearing, three months in a walking boot and I missed playing basketball my entire junior year,” Michals said.

Senior Brooks Martino has a number of injuries; he had a pulled a hamstring, injured both shoulders, and wrists, constantly and had a sore back and cauliflower ear; yet his injuries are not his focus.

“Being injured was not my top priority, wrestling at my level everyone is injured, ask anyone who won at states this year,” Martino said.

Martino said style of wrestling was also affected through his numerous injuries, but in a beneficial way.

“It [being injured] helped me correct a few mistakes, like I would be in the wrong position and that’s why I would get injured, so it affected me in a positive way,” Martino said.

Sophomore runner Steve Hiles has to use alternate methods to keep training during track season, even with tendonitis.

“I bike instead of running at practice, like I bike the course that the rest of the team would run,” Hiles said.

Senior soccer player Barbara Platenberg tore her ACL her junior year; when she came back, she was not the same player.

“It was kind of scary when I came back; I was always worried about getting hurt again,” Platenberg said. “I used to wear this huge brace, and it was really uncomfortable.”

Platenberg was in the process of trying to get a college scholarship when she tore her ACL.

“I actually committed after I got injured and I was nervous that I wouldn’t get a scholarship, but I got a scholarship to William and Mary, which was one of my top choices,” Platenberg said.

Platenberg said getting a scholarship really helped with her mental game.

“The coach of William and Mary said that he saw me play, and that he thought I could get back to playing at my previous level, which really helped with my confidence” Platenberg said.

Time spent out due to injury can make a player realize how much they miss the sport, especially when they come back to success.

“It feels really good to be back; every game I was out, I wanted to be in, and it really made me realize how much fun I have in basketball,” Steen said.

Martino agreed, hating even the time when he had to sit out of practice.

“It feels good to come back; I don’t like to sit around and watch,” Martino said. “It feels good to be back into it; there were a couple practices where I would just watch, and I didn’t like it.”